Should leos have a varied diet

[congener329]

Neo is quite happy with his diet of crickets (without legs now and much easier for him go catch!!!) but someone said it was risky only having one feeder.... Should i introduce other food (would be mealworms if anything) or just leave him on the crickets alone?

 

[Conched]

Nothing wrong with a varied diet.

 

[Saskia]

A varied diet is the best option for leopards, the more variety of healthy, well gutloaded feeders, the better, since there are many nutrients not found in just one feeder, or not fund in sufficient ammount, roaches are an excellent choice, also grasshoppers and hornworms could provide a healthy diet.

 

[Mr Stewart]

Yes, from what I've read, the more variety you can add to their regular diet, the better. Mealworms are great; gutload and dust as you would with the crickets, select the lightest coloured ones from the container as those will have most recently moulted and will be softer/easier for your gecko to digest. If your gecko is sub adult or adult, superworms are also a standard go-to food item. Phoenix worms are very nutritious but some leos will not eat them (mine spits them out). A waxworm every now and then as a treat, too.

I have been doing a staple of mealworms and superworms on alternate feedings, with one or two other insects in the dish for variety such as a waxworm or silkworm. Two or three times a month i will put a calcium dusted canned cricket on top of the usual servings of live worms. Partly just for a different crunching texture for him and also as a digestive aid so his stomach isn't filled with 100% chitinous worms. My leo will eat it readily as the worms wriggling underneath it make it appear to be alive. I have a bit of a cricket phobia and will not have live ones in my house. So I give a varied diet in other ways. It has been successful so far.

No roaches as they are illegal in Canada.